The Church is not a “Kit Car!”

I have long wanted to own a Shelby Cobra. I love the way they look. I can just imagine zooming down the highway, what little hair I have on my head blowing in the wind, with the sound of the powerful V8 motor filling my ears.

The problem is, they stopped making them back in 1967. By the way, these hand built cars are very expensive. Shelby’s original Cobra was sold by Barrett Jackson auctions in 2007. It set a record for a Barrett Jackson auction sale price – $5 million.

All hope is not lost, though. I could buy what’s called a “kit car”, or a “replicar” (sounds like something from Transformers) for relatively little money. It’s not the real thing, but it looks like it. Do a little searching on the web, and you’ll find Cobra replica kits for around $20,000 (hey, I said relatively little money; compare with $5 million). These cars have to be built, but if you so chose, you could have your very own Cobra.

AC Cobras are certainly not the only cars offered as replicars. You can find a lot of “classic” cars available now in kits, ready to be assembled. Now why did I go to the trouble to mention all of this? There is a principle at work here. While they are cool, no matter what you do, buying a kit car is never the same as restoring a car.

Often the kit cars will include options that the original vehicles never had. Some parts may not be exactly the same. A restored car also has a status that no replicar will ever have; It’s the real thing!

I’m afraid that a lot of people look at the church (i.e., the Church of Christ) as simply being a “repli-church,” if I can coin that phrase. It’s as though they think the church was taken from some kind of a kit, and assembled to be what we desired. But the Church of Christ is not a “repli-church”, it is a restored church!

Note the following:

1. Replicas require builders, while originals require restorers. Jesus said that HE came to establish (build) HIS church (Matthew 16:18). There is no need for another builder when it comes to the Church of Christ. While Calvin and Knox may have established the Presbyterian Church, John Smyth is attributed the Baptist Church, and John Wesley is responsible for the Methodist Church, there is no founder (builder) for the Church of Christ other than Christ. Why? There’s no need!
   
2. Replicas are finished, but restoration is a process. When someone finishes building something from a kit, they have finished the model. However, when someone restores something, for instance, a car, effort will always be required to keep it running. This is certainly true of the church. Due diligence is needed to make sure that all the parts work in harmony (Ephesians 4:16).
   
3. Replicas are a dime a dozen, but true originals are priceless. If someone “totals” a replicar, the car can be replaced. If someone wrecks an original, it cannot be replaced. There may be many “copies,” but the Bible only mentions one true church (Ephesians 4:4). Copies or offshoots were to be avoided (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13). When it comes to the church, it is one of the most priceless things in existence (cf. Acts 20:28). There is nothing like an original.
   
4. Finally, a replica is a copy, a restoration is the real thing. While some people may look at the Church of Christ as just another replica of the one true church (i.e., denomination), the idea of restoration is not compatible with that way of thinking. We do not seek to restore a replica. When Josiah restored proper worship in Judah (2 Kings 22-23) he didn’t make anything new! Instead, the people “took a stand for the covenant” (2 Kings 23:3) and restored what was amiss. This is the plea of the Church of Christ! We don’t want to be a “repli-church”, but instead, we want to take a stand for the covenant!

So the question is, are you driving a copy or the real thing?

~Daniel Howell